Charles Apple

Extraordinary Charlotte Observer designer Luke Trautwein has left newspapers to work for the Brewers Association in Boulder, Colo.

Luke tells us:

I got a great job as a graphic designer, doing magazines and some other fun stuff. My last day at the Big O was on Wednesday.

Here is the official announcement, sent out recently by the Observer’s Eric Edwards:

I am saddened to say that after 5 years of inspired, dedicated work, Luke Trautwein is leaving the Observer to make his mark in the world of beer. Luke has accepted a position with the graphics department of the Brewer’s Association based in Boulder, Colorado.

Luke’s accomplishments at the paper are too many to detail. He has brought the Observer awards, he has helped us develop our online brand and he gave Charlotte the Phuzzle. But as impressive as his resume is, it sits in the shadow of his personality. Unofficially voted “Most Likely to be invited to a Maestro,” Luke’s energy is as unmistakable as his bold design. He not only makes the reading experience better but he makes collaboration exciting and fun. From MoneyWise to CLT covers to sports fronts to historic events like the election of Barack Obama, Luke’s work practically leapt off the paper it was printed on.

A few samples of Luke’s work (click — most will give you a slightly larger view):

We thank Luke for all of his contributions and we wish him the best of luck in his new career. If anyone can make drinking beer more fun, it’s probably Luke.

Luke’s last day is Wednesday, July 1. Please stop by and say goodbye.

Luke served as the lede for this story about young journalists at the traditional Charlotte Observer, which ran two years ago in American Journalism Review. Carl Sessions Stepp reported:

From his old-timer’s perch after three years in newspaper design, 27-year-old Luke Trautwein barely hesitates when asked if he would advise young people to join today’s newspapers.

“No,” he says firmly. “I’ve been in the newspaper business for three years, and I’ve only seen the negatives. Papers being sold and bought, and sold and bought, and people not knowing if they would have a job. I don’t know if there ever were the glory days, but I haven’t seen them. It seems like I can see it ending, and you wouldn’t want to tell people to get into that.”

Would he himself do it again?

“I’d totally do it again,” he exclaims. “I love it. Any job where you can ride your bike to work and come in and joke around and high five and wear what you want to wear, and they respect you for who you are, and they need you for who you are.

“The people are so different and you get them all together and work harmoniously–most of the time–to put out something good every day. That’s very cool.”

Caught in the obvious contradiction, Trautwein grins.

“It doesn’t make sense,” he concedes, “but I love what I do.”

Find that story here.

This leap from newspapers into the beer industry is the second I’ve heard about in two years. Last summer, Bill Manley of the Virginian-Pilot’s Link left to work for the Sierra Nevada brewing company in California.

Two is only a coincidence. One more, though, and we’ll call it a trend.

This entry was posted on Friday, July 3rd, 2009 at 10:17 am and is filed under Job changes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.